A hybrid grid connected solar-fuel cell energy converter for common household load

• Main Author: Madiwanan, Prakash
• Other Authors: Ali Iftekhar Maswood
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Electric power
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/40724
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Solar energy has good prospects for both isolated load and grid-connected. Solar cell power source should be integrated with other supplementary power source whether is operate in a standalone or grid-connected mode. The fuel cell energy has a great potential for being coordinated with the solar panel to smooth out the solar panel power’s fluctuation. Therefore, a hybrid grid-connected solar-fuel cell energy converter can be very attractive in such a case for household application. The project will start from literature research of solar cell, fuel cell, and maximum power point tracking (MPPT), DC-DC converter and DC-AC inverter. This report aims to present the design and development an integrated Hybrid Solar/Fuel Cell Energy Converter for Household Load. The design of this system consists of an electrical equivalent circuit of a solar panel and fuel cell, MPPT control circuit, a DC-DC boost converter with the voltage controller circuit and single phase full-bridge SPWM inverter. Simulations were carried out using the PSIM software to verify feasibilities of the system. The final stage of this project involved the hardware implication of the hybrid system. Details of results for the design and discussion are included in this report. Lastly, there would be a conclusion to give an overall summary of the project and recommendation for enhancements to improve the systems designed.